Crazy Astronaut Nowak Pleads Insanity

Lisa Nowak, the diaper-wearing astronaut who went crazy in a bizarre quest for romantic vengeance, has indicated trough her attorney that she’s going to plead temporary insanity.

Former astronaut Lisa Nowak is pursuing a temporary insanity defense on charges that she assaulted and tried to kidnap a romantic rival, according to a court document released Tuesday.

Nowak suffered from major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, insomnia and “brief psychotic disorder with marked stressors,” defense attorney Donald Lykkebak wrote in his notice of intent to rely on the insanity defense. He also noted that the already petite Nowak recently lost 15 percent of her body weight and struggled with “marital separation.” “Even the most naive observer should recognize that Lisa Nowak’s behavior on February 5 was uncharacteristic and unpredicted for such an accomplished person with no criminal record or history of violence,” Lykkebak said in a separate public statement.

Frankly, I don’t think she’s going to have much trouble convincing a judge or jury that she was insane. Temporary, though, is another matter.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. yetanotherjohn says:

    Be fair. If a definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly expecting a different result, she only once drove 1,000 miles overnight while wearing a diaper so she could do something not quite defined with a BB gun to an ex-lover.

  2. markm says:

    If she shows up in her UCD it shouldn’t be a problem.

  3. Kent says:

    Frankly, I don’t think she’s going to have much trouble convincing a judge or jury that she was insane. Temporary, though, is another matter.

    You nailed that one.